Ferme de la Brunie Local cheeses labeled Bleu-blanc-coeur in Périgord Noir

La Ferme de la Brunie is located in the Périgord Noir, at the gates of Sarlat. In the village of Sainte-Nathalène, head towards the Eyrignac gardens and follow the farm sales signs.

The Ferme de la Brunie has a herd of Montbeliarde cows, this farm has been passed down for 4 generations. The milk produced is labeled Bleu-Blanc-Coeur, milking is automated for the well-being of the animals. The milk collected is partly processed on the farm.

La Ferme de la Brunie is made up of Mr Rouquie Bertrand , manager of the farm, and 4 employees :

• Eliane (fresh cheese, yogurts, Sarladaise cheese).
• Nadège (butter, yogurts, Sarladaise cheese).
• Gilles (delivery driver).
• Thomas (farm worker)

The operation includes:

• 55 dairy cows for a production of 430,000 liters of milk per year.
• 25 replacement heifers.
• 50 animals for meat production.

Of the 430,000 liters of milk produced per year:

• 230,000 liters are processed for direct sale (cheese, milk, yogurts) .
• 50,000 liters for consumption by livestock.
• The rest is sold to the SODIAAL cooperative (Yoplait, Candia and Richemont group) and in particular for our farm, Grandlait milk, since we are a farm selected by the milk route.

La Ferme de la Brunie is also part of the BLEU-BLANC-COEUR association. Bleu-blanc-cœur is a French label that requires an omega 3 content in animal rations. Good for the health of the animals and for ours by transfer into milk and meat.

The milking robot was put into operation in 2015. It has allowed, on the one hand, the elimination of the burden of morning and evening milking, 365 days a year and on the other hand, comfort for the animals. The cows go to the robot whenever they want, at the time they want of the day and night. Milkings are spaced at least 6 hours apart and a maximum of 12 hours apart depending on the stage of lactation and gestation.

At the beginning of lactation, cows are accepted 4 times per 24 hours.

1st phase: Cleaning, massage to promote milk secretion.
2nd phase: Scanning of the teats, installation of the milking clusters.
3rd phase: Treatment and disinfection of teats with iodine at the end of milking, disinfection of liners with steam to avoid contamination between animals.

Each cow has a collar that is identified each time it passes through the robot. During identification, other information such as rumination, movement and temperature of the cow are transmitted to the computer, giving us curves. We are informed if the cow is healthy and can intervene earlier in the event of illness. Thanks to this tool, we are in homeopathic medicine. No more antibiotics since 2018.

Once milking is finished, the milk goes to 3 destinations:

• The milk tank for storage and processing.
• buckets (colostrum) for young infants (infants are removed from their mothers at birth) .
• The milk tank for breeding calves and heifers.

Food:

The animals are fed exclusively on grass (naturally rich in omega 3) . The grass is fresh and served every morning from April to November. In winter, it is alfalfa baling (canned grass), alfalfa hay and corn silage. Supplementation to the robot with barley (produced on the farm) and rapeseed is done according to the maintenance and production needs of the cows.

For your health, avoid eating too fatty, too sweet, too salty